This book provides the foundational knowledge essential for comprehending the functioning of financial markets and institutions and their current challenges. First, the book provides a general overview on the functioning of the EU financial system, examining financial markets and financial intermediaries’ features and activity and their contribution to economic growth. It also outlines the evolution of the EU integration process, giving an overview of the most important regulatory steps related to the banking and financial system culminated in the creation of the Banking Union. Banking activity is also examined in the most important business areas: commercial versus investment banking. Lastly, the book introduces two important phenomena, which are currently characterizing the financial environment: FinTech and sustainable finance. Both FinTech and sustainable finance represent significant opportunities for the market and the operators, even if the challenges and risks associated are also relevant. This underlines the need to understand their intensity and their potential impact on the functioning of the financial system as a whole.
Author(s): Paola Ferretti, Pierluigi Martino
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 122
City: London
Contents
List of Figures
1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction
References
2 The Financial System: The European Union Perspective
2.1 The Role and Structure of the Financial System
2.2 The Direct Financing Channel: Financial Markets
2.2.1 The Money Market
2.2.2 Capital Markets
2.2.2.1 Bonds Market
2.2.2.2 The Equity Market
2.2.3 Derivatives Market
2.3 The Indirect Financing Channel: Financial Intermediaries
2.3.1 Financial Intermediaries
References
3 The European Banking System: Main Features Along the Evolutionary Path
3.1 The European Union at a Glance
3.2 The International Financial Crisis in the Perspective of the European Banking System
3.3 The Banking and Financial Integration Process: Main Steps
3.4 The Rational of Banking Supervision: Some Key-Points
3.4.1 Focus on Capital Adequacy Framework
References
4 Banking Support for Firms: Some Business Areas
4.1 Banks-Firms Relationship: Introductory Remarks
4.2 Bank Lending
4.3 Investment Banking
4.4 Other Business Areas
References
5 FinTech: Challenges and Opportunities for Banks and Financial Markets
5.1 The Rise of FinTech
5.2 FinTech: Implications for Banks
5.2.1 FinTech and Banking Competition
5.2.2 FinTech and Banking Efficiency
5.3 FinTech: Implications for the Entrepreneurial Finance Market
5.3.1 Crowdfunding
5.3.2 Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)
References
6 An Introduction to Sustainable Finance
6.1 The Rise of Sustainable Finance
6.2 Banking and Sustainable Finance
6.3 Sustainable Finance: New Developments in Financial Markets
References
Index
